Just the rumblings and bumblings of a prairie chick

Stress

Stress is a funny thing. Sometimes it presents as binge eating (as some of my classmates can attest to), binge drinking, crying, hiding, over-sleeping, and even random acts of escape. Everyone handles stress differently. I think it’s as much the kind of stress as it is the kind of person you are. I have eight finals that will span just over week. Before I started my first doctorate trimester I asked a friend that had just finished her first tri(mester) for some idea of what I could expect. Her answer was “lots of wine and tears.” I thought she was joking. I had no idea how right she was. A lady at school that specializes in dealing with the mess that all of us students can be offered these words of wisdom, “tell your loved ones that their plans for gatherings should be fluid and make sure they understand that holidays and birthdays will have to happen even if you can’t attend.” Again I thought she was joking to a degree. I was wrong again.

Drinking helps for some but there’s a fine line when that can become dangerous. Some of my colleagues have turned to spirituality. Since I’ve never actively embraced a religion this one is hard for me, although mediation and praying the mala helps me to decompress. If you’re not familiar with a mala it’s similar to the Catholic rosary but based in Buddhism. It’s composed of 108 beads and each one is passed through the fingers (depending on what you’re praying for or focusing on you would use different fingers). It’s to focus on a meditative thought. This link can help to explain it a bit better.